Not What They Expected (A Multi-Chaptered Short Lams Story)
by SilentRain03
Summary: He never expected it, not only Laurens showing up at his house in the middle of a blizzard, or the writers block that's plaguing him. Sure, those were sudden, but the fact he might've fallen for his best friend... That, that was unexpected.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello my lovelies! Well, Here we have it! Another story! I spent a whole day and more on this, because well why not. Okay I lied I had written this once and it was CRAAAAAP like I couldn't read it without gagging it was so bad, so after 4 hours of writing, I began revising for well, I'm at 3 hours now because distraction. And lots of coffee. The second I got tea though, my genius was unleashed. #ThePowerofTea , Amiright? Well, anyways here we go! (First chapters a bit of a tease, you'll soon find out why). ;)_

 _Alex-_

It was 11:53. Wednesday night.

He had nothing.

Alex groaned loudly, throwing his last piece of paper he had out into the already overflowing wastebasket. He had been writing for days and days, but no matter how much he wrote, nothing came out to his liking.

He was practically going insane.

Usually, when he was asked to write an argumentative paper, he could have it done within a day. He had been slaving over the same paper, the same dang paper for so long, and the deadline was Friday. The one time he was actually running out of time, and he couldn't write. He put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes. What was even worse is that he had no idea how far his colleagues were, seemings all his classes had been cancelled due to a raging blizzard outside. That left him to his own anxieties that everyone had no trouble with the assignment, and he was falling behind. Of course, he had no way to be sure, but he had the feeling.

 _Bang Bang!_

His head shot up, nearly giving himself whiplash. He turned uneasily towards the door, half expecting something to knock it down. He held his breath.

 _Bang Bang Bang!_

He glanced to the window, the sill had been caked in a thick layer of snow, almost covering it up completely. There was no possible way anyone could be out in such weather. He stood up slowly, cautiously making his way to the door. He gripped the door handle, tugging about three times before finally wrenching open the frozen door. He was greeted by a cold blast of wind and snow in his face. He wiped it off, then saw the source of the knocking. It was John. His eyes widened, before he said anything he took note of his blue lips, and frozen stiff ponytail. He was supposed to be about a hundred miles away. He broke himself from his daze, grabbing his half frozen friend by the arm and pulling him inside.

"John? What in the name of God are you doing here?!" He exclaimed

"R-roof caved in, I was p-planning to surprise you but the house fell apart in the storm." He shivered, rubbing his hands together. Alex's eyes widened, not only at the explanation but at how cold he looked. He looked nearly half dead if anything, it terrified him.

"How far away was the house? Are you okay? God John you look so cold! "

"It had to have been a few blocks. I-I was running out of firewood anyways. So.. s-surprise!"

Alex laughed, pulling John in for a hug.

"It really good to see you- Jesus you need new clothes. Here, let me fetch some." He quickly walked into the next room, pulling out a plain white shirt and brown pants, a pair he hadn't ever worn before due to them being too large. He handed them to John.

"Here you go, may be a bit big, but they should do, I'll get some tea and blankets-"

"Alex you really don't have to do that," John said, taking his hair out of its ponytail. Alex shook his head, already making his way to the kitchen.

"I know, but it's nice to have some company. Just maybe not in the form of frozen, possibly hypothermic. Now, also dripping."

He chuckled as John looked in the closest mirror. His brown curls which had been frozen stiff were now dripping wet already, beading down the side of his face and onto the floor. He turned to Alex, smiling sheepishly.

"Don't think you have a towel, do you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _John-_

John took a sip from his tea, silently rejoicing for the warm drink he had been given. He was also pretty happy he was able to feel his fingers and toes again, after Alex gave him the outfit and blanket. He had never been that cold before, not to mention he had fallen into the snow a few times from slipping. Of course, he wasn't about to tell Alex about it. He sighed, leaning his head back.

"You sure it's alright that I crash here? I mean- I really don't want to intrude, and if you have things to do.." he said, looking up at Alex from his spot on the floor.

"Are you kidding? I'm not sending you back out there. Besides, I don't mind you being here at all, I need to take a break from writing anyways," Alex said, taking a drink from his cup. John raised an eyebrow.

"Did I hear correctly? A 'break from writing'? Are you okay?" He questioned. He knew Alex, and one thing he knew is that he took writing very seriously,

"I've been working on that argumentative paper for two days now and I'm coming up dry, John," He ran a hand through his hair. "I think I just need a day or so to clear my head."

John set his cup down, still eyeing his friend curiously.

"You've never had a problem with those before, lot's on your mind?"

"I guess. I don't know what the deal is." He sighed. "Maybe I'm just losing my touch. I bet everyone else finished it with ease."

"Or maybe you just have a bit of writer's block, it happens to everyone at some point," John said.

It looked like Alex was just about to respond when another burst of wind hit, making an awful howling noise. Suddenly, the door flew open with a great force, making Alex nearly choke on his drink.

"Woah!"

They both stood up simultaneously, John taking a step back, and Alex running to the open door.

"Okay, we're good. It was just the wind," Alex said, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"That storm doesn't seem like it's letting up one bit. Maybe even getting worse by the looks of it."

"Yeah, well I guess you can count on class being dismissed tomorrow, then." John said, walking back over to his spot on the floor. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself. The house seemed to lose a good third of its heat just in those few seconds. That was how cold it was.

"Oh lovely, well, maybe I'll get lucky and the storm will hold out for the rest of the week." He said, scowling.

"You'll get it Alex, you always do. Maybe you just need to sleep on it."

"Maybe. Speaking of which, maybe I should be hitting the hay. You can stay up if you want-"

"Are you kidding? I'm exhausted," John stood up, laughing. "So uh, where do I…?"

"Oh," Alex furrowed his eyebrows "Yeah, I sorta forgot there's only one bed. I can just sleep on the floor-"

"Alex I'm not going to let you sleep on cold hardwood, if anything I can." John said.

"Yeah but then I'll feel bad. Here, why don't we just both sleep on the bed, and whoever falls off first stays on the floor!"

John laughed again, "Okay, but no kicking or pushing!"

"Awww."

"Alex, the point of going to bed is sleeping. You man-child."

Alex smiled and stood up, "Fine."

John stood up as well, following Alex through the doorway on the far side of the room. He looked around at the hallway, which was very dimly lit. They reached the bedroom, and John couldn't help but notice the bed, which was neatly made. It looked like it hadn't been slept in in weeks. He walked over to the desk in the corner, running his fingers against the surface. He pulled back, noticing dust on his hand. There were only a few things in the room: the small desk, a lamp, and a small leather chair in the corner.

"I know, not much in here. I usually don't end up making it to the bed, I just crash on the desk in the living quarters," He said, practically reading John's mind. "I forgot what my bed even feels like."

John watched him as he walked over to the side of his bed, falling face first into it. He couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

"Oh wow Its so soft!"

John walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. It was a queen size bed, and a pretty comfortable one at that. The sheets were thick, and the pillows looked incredibly soft. As a kid, John always slept in a folding spring bed, The springs would always dig into his back, making it very uncomfortable. He looked down at Alex. Who hadn't moved from his face down position.

"Alex?"

"Hm?"

He laughed.

"Who's that?"

John pointed at a picture sitting on the far edge of the desk, which he had just noticed. Alex lifted his head.

"Oh, her? That's my mother."

John looked more closely, the painting was of a woman, who seemed to be in her mid twenties. She looked as healthy as ever.

"Wow, she was very pretty." He said, noticing her eyes. He looked back over to Alex, whose eyes looked virtually the same. Sparkly, chestnut with green dots.

"Thanks," He flipped his hair, looking up. "It's where I get my good looks."

The response made John crack up. "Okay, "Mr. Appealing""

Alex grinned, standing up. He pulled up the sheets and laid down, pulling them up to his neck.

"I missed this."

John did the same, usually he would sleep on top of the covers, but he was still rather cold. The bed was actually very warm.

"And I could definitely get used to this!" John said, sliding down farther into the sheets.

"Well, let's see if anyone ends up on the floor," Alex said reaching over to the lamp. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He blew out the candle, and the room was enveloped in darkness. John fell asleep nearly instantly.

 _A/N- Well, that raps up the first chapter! I'm not sure how many there will be yet, I'm shooting for at LEAST 3. Well, chapter two is already under way, so I'll be back soon! Don't forget to leave a review! Love!_


	2. Chapter 2

The smell woke him up.

John opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the chair. He had nearly forgotten he was still at Alex's house. He turned onto his back, smelling was almost seemed like rolls of some sort. The room was dark still, but the shades were pulled all the way open. The storm was still raging on outside, which meant he would probably be there for another night if it doesn't let up, maybe even a few seemings he really didn't have anywhere else to go near here. He sat up, yawning. He almost hated getting up, but he knew he couldn't just lay in bed forever no matter how much he wanted to. He swung his legs over the side, noticing Alex had been missing from the bed. He peered over the other side, just making sure he hadn't fallen on the floor. Thankfully he didn't. He got ready to stand when Alex entered the room, holding a plate of sugar glazed rolls.

"Morning. I couldn't help myself, so I made some of these," He handed the plate to John. "Try one and tell me what you think."

John picked up one, which was still warm. They smelled heavenly.

"I didn't know you baked. Or really even cooked actually," John said, taking a bite. The bread was soft, and the glaze about melted in his mouth. He had to resist the urge to stuff the whole thing in his mouth.

"Hey, there's more to me than writing and aggravating people believe it or not. So, how is it?"

"Irts dirishis," John said with a full mouth.

"Fantastic! I worked all morning on them while you were still asleep."

John swallowed the rest of his bite quickly. "What time did you get up?"

"Oh, around Five ish I think."

"Five? Jesus Alex. Wait, what time is it now?" He asked, reaching for another roll.

"Probably about Nine. Doesn't look like it though, huh?"

"Not at all, if you hadn't cooked I could've slept to noon and wouldn't even of realized it! I should probably eat this in the kitchen though, I really don't want to get crumbs all in your bed."

He stood up, taking a moment to gain his footing.

"If I can remember to walk. That is."

 _Alex-_

Alex had spent all the morning baking, something he could honestly say had never happened before. He had to laugh, the only reason it took him so long was all the failed attempts at just rolls, which were disposed of immediately. He took a bite of one himself, pleased with the final outcome. He watched as John quickly stuck another in his mouth and walked into the kitchen. He considered mentioning his hair, which was a curly mess, but didn't. It looked cute.

Wait. Did he just call John… _cute_?

He shook his head. No, he called his _hair_ cute, because it was curly and down, which was a way John didn't typically wear it. That's why. He was tore from his thoughts by a yell and loud bang from the kitchen. He rushed out of the room, running in. He saw John on the floor.

"John are you alright? What happened?" He asked, pulling him up. Then he realized.

"Oh um, I…. cleaned the…. floor, it might be slippery," He said, grinning awkwardly. John laughed.

"Really? I would've never noticed!"

"Sorry, I should've warned you about that," Alex said, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's fine, I'm as clumsy as they come anyways."

Alex laughed, grateful John was laughing too, and not hurt or angry. Or both. Suddenly, something came to mind that he hadn't remembered until then. He gasped, earning a look of surprise from his friend who he quickly grabbed by the arm.

"Here, I need to show you something," he said, leading John through the kitchen.

"What? Where are we going?"

"Oh, you'll see. Watch your step, oh and try not getting any spiders to the face," he laughed.

They walked through the entrance of his extra "hallway", which had a tendency to get musty and spidery. He had completely forgotten about it, and he never had a chance to show people seemings they never came over. The hall itself looked ordinary, just like the rest of the house, except for one small detail.

"Here we are," Alex stated proudly. He looked over, John stared blankly.

"It's… It's a wall." He said, tilting his head. "Alex, what exactly am I supposed to be looking at?"

"That's the thing, " He reached over, grabbing a key he had cleverly tucked into a pocket like fold in the wallpaper. He stuck the key into what would look like a rip to most and turned one way, then another. He pulled open the door.

"This is what I wanted to show you."

John's jaw dropped, he looked at Alex with wide eyes, then back at the door.

"Whoa, that's insane! Can I-?"

"Be my guest," Alex said, gesturing to the room.

John walked in slowly, Alex followed, lighting the lamp behind him. Just like that, a soft glow illuminated the room, revealing its contents. He heard John softly say,

"Wow."

He watched as John walked over to the first shelf, looking in awe at the contents. Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, you wouldn't think of me as a guy who would have a bunch of rocks and shells in a random room in his house but."

John turned, looking at him, he held a rock in his hand.

"This is amazing, these are so gorgeous. What is this one?" He asked, his eyes were shining like a kid who had just walked into a toy store. He held a rock in his hands, which had been split into two, its contents revealing a light blue crystal inside.

"That's Larimar, very rare. I found it fishing, it was on the shore next to a couple more smaller ones. I only picked up this one."

"Why not the others?" John asked, turning the stone over in his hand.

"So someday someone could find one of them since there aren't many around from what I've heard. It's like fishing and hunting. Take more than you need, soon enough there won't be any left for anyone else."

John looked up.

"Huh, I never thought about like that. Can you tell me about some others?"

Alex smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."

 _John-_

They had spent around an hour in the room before they got through most of the things. John had to admit, he was impressed on how Alex knew what each stone was, and even more so was where he got them. Each had a story. He could see how Alex had lit up talking about them, naming off the exact time and place he found it. John had really enjoyed looking at them, he had never seen anything so colorful or pretty, especially not in something as natural as a rock. They had gone back upstairs and were sitting next to the fire due to an even more rapid drop in temperature outside, and talked.

"I never imagined America could get so cold.." Alex said, rubbing his arms.

"Oh right, I always forget you aren't from here, more of a heat person?" John asked. He could remember first experiencing harsh New York winters after moving from South Carolina. He nearly caught hyperthermia the first winter, but not as close as this year. This year was particularly bad.

"Yeah, you know come to think of it I don't think I've really felt snow before, I've walked through the little bits we've had but never really picked any up. I've been so busy.."

John stood up quickly, already knowing exactly what he would do. He would show Alex snow.

"Come on!"

He held out his hand to pull Alex up, but only earned a look of pure confusion.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'?" Alex narrowed his eyes. John sighed. "You need to see snow, and you need to know what it feels like!"

"In the middle of a blizzard in negative five thousand degrees? No thank you!" Alex retorted.

"It will only be for a second, then we can come right back in. Pleeeaaase?"

Alex gave in to his begging, reluctantly taking his hand and being led this time by John. John threw open the door, ignoring the freezing blast. The snow buildup was immense, it was half his height, only growing taller off the porch. The wind had died down from earlier, which wouldn't last long. He hadn't realized that in his moment of awe, he had still been holding Alex's hand, which Alex didn't seem to notice either. He awkwardly let his hand slip out. He strolled to the edge of the elevated porch, looking at the three, maybe even four feet of pure white snow. He couldn't tell.

"I wonder how much that is," He wondered aloud, shivering.

"Let's find out!"

He felt two hands shove him from behind, he whipped around, grabbing his attacker, taking him down with him. Both him and Alex falling into the what turned out to be five feet of snow.

"Alex!" He yelled, paralyzed by the coldness hitting his bare arms and legs, and inside his clothes. He heard Alex next to him.

"Oh my god it's cold!"

"Why did you do that?" He said, standing up, he could barely see above the top of the snow itself.

"I didn't think it was this deep!" He yelled, hopping back up onto the porch, John followed suit.

The both hurriedly ran back into the house, covered in snow and the bits that had already melted. He looked over at Alex, who had thrown off his shirt and breeches and was only in boxers. He quickly looked away.

"I-I'll go get some towels and new clothes,"

John wrapped his arms around himself, laughing. He couldn't help think about the hand holding incident again for some reason though, which made no sense to him. He shook it off and decided to take off his drenched shirt, but left the pants on. He wrung the shirt outside, then made sure to close the door tightly and lock it. He turned around and saw Alex come back in, already changed with a towel around his shoulders, another set of clothes in his hands.

"John, I'm so sorry that was childish of me and because of that you're freezing and are probably mad at me," He handed John the stack. "Sorry."

"I'm not mad, Alex. That was actually pretty funny. So, how did the snow feel?" He laughed.

"Cold, and wet. But overall a new experience so I can't complain."

John looked down, he realized the clothes were his, but now dry and warm. He held them up to his face.

"These feel nice, finally dried out?"

"Yep, thought you would like your own clothes back, I'll take the wet ones if you want."

John quickly slipped out of the cold, heavy breeches and into his own, handing the others to Alex. After he hung them up, they both resorted to their place in front of the fire where they had been earlier. This time perhaps a bit closer. John pulled his knees up to his chest, staring into the fire. His mind wandered, mostly replaying the hand holding scene over and over, he couldn't explain it, but it was affecting him somehow. He closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on the crackling of the fire. After a while of being bored with that, he opened his eyes, looking at Alex. He saw he had his eyes closed too, a hint of a smile on his face. He couldn't help but look at the way the fire illuminated his face in a soft glow, it was almost entrancing. He quickly looked away, realizing he was staring at his friend. Why is he acting so strange? It's just Alex.

 _It's just Alex._


	3. Chapter 3

_Alex-_

He had no idea how it happened, not a clue in the world. Well, maybe he did, but he didn't even know how to feel at that point. Except he shouldn't be feeling what he felt, or thinking what he thought. It had always been there, the feelings, but never as strong as they were now.

He _liked_ Laurens. He couldn't deny it. He wished he could.

They had spent the rest of that day normally, just talking and sitting around, unable to do much of anything else. Laurens had never bothered to put his hair back in its normal ponytail, and Alex couldn't help but notice how the curls framed his face, loosely falling in perfect spirals, accompanying his freckles perfectly. It was adorable. Alex shook his head, he can't be thinking this, it's not right. He glanced over at Laurens, who was sitting in a chair, his knees up to his chest. His head rested in his arms, covering his face. He couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not.

"John?"

John looked up, looking slightly tired.

"Yeah?" Alex's heart skipped a beat, not even for a good reason. It just did.

"Tired already?" He asked, chuckling awkwardly. John ran a hand through his hair, yawning.

"Sorta, but mostly hungry."

"Yeah, so am I." Alex stood up, "Want to help make supper?" John stood up too.

"Sounds fun. What's on the menu?" He asked, stretching out his back.

"Well, I have pork and potatoes and we could make some of those rolls again for dessert."

"Nice, that sounds so good right now!" He said, running into the kitchen, Alex laughed, walking in. Cooking would help get his mind off things.

He opened the cupboard, grabbing a large pan for the meat and potatoes.

"Hey Alex, anything I can do?" John asked, standing in the corner. Alex thought for a moment, then realized he stored some of the frozen dough in a container outside. He laughed to himself.

"You can grab the dough for the rolls if you want," He said, setting the meat in the pan.

"Cool, uh, where is it at?"

"Outside."

"Oh my god, why," John groaned, "Where at?"

"In the back, it's in a large container, you may have to dig just a bit. It shouldn't be that much I just got some out this morning. It's right next to the woodpile."

John nodded his head, putting on his boots and coat. Alex continued preparing, grabbing the potatoes and adding them along with some onion to it. He heard John walk out the back door, and felt the cold breeze. It was amazing how long the storm had lasted, and how cold it continued to be. After a minute or so, John came back in with the dough.

"Got it, gosh it's cold out," John said, hanging up his coat. "When I went out there, you said it was next to the woodpile, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Alex said, still tending to the dinner.

"Alex, there was no wood. I didn't see any at all."

Alex stood up and turned around, expecting him to be joking. He realized John was serious.

"There's no way, there was plenty last time I checked! There must be some under the snow-"

"I checked, I dug around everything, all I found was this," He pulled out a round piece from the hung up coats pocket, about the size of a rolled-up sheet of parchment. Alex stared.

"That's not good, it would be nearly impossible to get more in this weather."

"I think it is impossible. I've never seen so much snow, it looks like it could be up past my waist out there, plus the cold."

Alex put his hand on his chin, staring at the floor. He had wood inside, but not nearly enough to last. His eyes widened, did he even have that much inside? He looked over to the place in the corner where the wood was stacked.

Two pieces. He had two pieces.

"Wow. I cannot believe I didn't even realize I was running out of the one thing keeping me alive this winter. Good job, Alexander." Alex said, hitting himself on the head. There was a moment of silence, then John spoke.

"I can go get some."

"What?"

"I can get some wood, the wood from the fallen cabin would work wouldn't it?" John said, looking at the nearly empty stack of wood to Alex.

"John there is no way I'm letting you back out there, you nearly froze to death!"

"I was fine! Besides, it's probably not as windy anyways," He argued, already putting his coat back on.

"You can't be serious, it's freezing cold, I don't know where you've been, but we are the middle of possibly the worst blizzards in history!" He yelled, angrily gesturing to the door.

"And I don't know where you've been, but you are nearly out of the one thing keeping you alive this winter!" John snapped, putting on his gloves.

Alex's shoulders fell, realizing this was the first time he had actually yelled at John. He briskly walked into the other room, grabbing the thickest scarf he could find. He walked back in just as John was about to leave.

"Here," He said, wrapping the scarf around a very surprised John. "Anything more than a half hour and I'm going looking for you." He stepped back, giving John a weak smile. "You're crazy, but thanks. Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

John smiled back, opening the door. "Thanks, and I'll be fine, besides, who else will cook dinner. God, I feel like we're a married couple," He said, laughing. He stepped out, blowing an overly exaggerated fake kiss.

"Goodbye! Love you!" He laughed, closing the door. Alex stood, looking at the door. He whispered, just to be safe.

"I love you too."

 _John-_

He stepped off the porch, making sure to grab the wood sled on his way off. He shuffled through the snow, mentally slapping himself as hard as possible. Why did he say that? Why on earth would say that? _Married?_ He shook his head, he was an idiot for saying that, Alex probably thought he was a freak, saying he loved him and even blowing a kiss! He breathed in slowly, the cold was already chilling him, even with the scarf. He felt awful for yelling at Alex, but he didn't seem mad by the time he left, especially when he put that scarf around John. _Don't you dare start over thinking that, John_ , He told himself sternly.

 _You don't even like him like that._

Well, that's what he kept telling himself. His actions proved to be otherwise, as disastrous as it was to like him. You can't like another boy, that's not okay. The wind hit his face, it felt like a million tiny needles poking his skin, he pulled up the scarf higher over his nose, still mentally at war with himself. Did he like Alex? He's known him for so long now, did he never realize it?

"God, why is life so confusing." He said to himself.

The snow began to fall harder, now being picked up by the wind. It hit him in the face, it felt like hyperthermia was setting in, but he knew he was just being dramatic. The kept trudging through the annoyingly deep snow, noticing not even the roads were being plowed. Probably because it was too hard to see, and the horses wouldn't even be able to handle such cold. He kept walking for about another ten minutes until he reached the sight of what had been his cabin, which was now just multiple lumps in the snow. He let go of the strings on the sled he had been dragging and began to dig.

Alex-

Alex stirred the pot, bored by himself. He found himself glancing at the door constantly, beginning to grow worried about his friend. The wind had picked up immensely since he had left, and god knows how cold it was. He stood up and walked over to the fire, prodding it with the fire iron. He had to put in one of the two slabs of wood, leaving only the one. The house had lost some of its heat, but there was a chance John might not find any wood under the tons of snow. He felt bad, he should've given him a light shovel to dig with, but he hadn't thought about that until then. He sat down, leaning his head against the wall next to him. He didn't even realize it when he fell asleep.

 _John-_

It was dark, somehow. He didn't even see it coming, but the darkness crept in slowly, then came all at once. John pulled the sled, only four chunks of wood on it. He had kept accidentally letting go of it due to the fact his hand was numb, along with every other part of him. He squinted his eyes, he could barely tell where he was at, but he was pretty sure he had a good idea. The digging process took longer than he thought, and with the wind, it was taking even longer to get back. It had already been around 40 minutes, and he was exhausted. Alex must've got busy with the food. He had reached a point where he was so cold, he didn't even feel cold, which wasn't a good sign. He had also fallen a few times from his legs feeling weak. He picked up his pace, wishing he had some company.

"Alex, where are you?" He murmured, shivering.

Without warning, his legs gave out again, and he collapsed onto the snow. He propped himself on his knees, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to retain some warmth. _This is not good_ , He thought weakly, _What if he doesn't come looking for me? What if I don't make it back?_ He shook his head, Alex would come. He had to.

 _Alex-_

Alex had woken with a jolt, nearly falling out of his chair. He wasted no time checking on the dinner, which somehow he managed not to burn. He looked over at the clock on the shelf nearly screaming. It had been almost an hour since John left, and it was dark.

"Oh my god, how did I fall asleep?" He ranted, running to get a coat and boots.

He threw on his heaviest coat and boots and grabbed a lit lantern from the main room, turning it into full flame. His heart was racing, what if something happened? In that moment he silently rejoiced John had told him where the cabin was, so he knew which way to go. He threw open the door, ignoring the cold and slammed it behind him. He couldn't believe how much snow had fallen, he walked briskly, holding up his lantern.

"John?" He yelled into the dark, "John are you out here?"

No response. He kept hurrying along, calling out Johns name, praying he heard some sort of answer. He would've broken into a dead run if the snow hadn't been so thick. His hands felt numb already, and he had barely been out a few minutes. He kept calling.

"John! Answer me, please!" He screamed tears pricked at his eyes, threatening to come.

How could he have done this? John could be hurt and freezing and he just slept through it! After he promised to look for him after a half hour! He felt disgusted with himself for doing this to John. He kept moving forward, yelling at the top of his lungs until they burned. He was more than willing to freeze to his death looking for him. Then, after almost ten minutes, he heard a response.

"Alex!"

Alex nearly cried when he heard John's voice, he hurried to where he heard it, holding his lantern higher than ever.

"John! I'm here!" He called, nearly tripping.

He then saw his friend, immediately he knew something was wrong. He set down the lantern, kneeling down in front of John, who was on his knees.

"John, what happened? God, I know letting you go out was a bad idea, I'm so sorry I-I fell asleep and- you could've died because of me."

He looked at John, his face was pale, standing out greatly against his blue lips. He was shaking horribly.

"Alex, I-I'm sorry, I couldn't get more wood…" He said, looking up sadly. Alex laughed breathlessly.

"I couldn't care less about the wood John, come on you need to get up you're gonna freeze to death!"

He grabbed John's hands, standing up and pulling John up with him. He felt John's weight shift, falling until him, almost limply. He held on to his friend tightly, steadying him. After a moment John regained himself.

"Th-there's only four pieces of wood, its-its all I could find." He said, picking up the string that laid on the ground.

Alex spun John around, holding him by the shoulders,

"John, I don't care about that. It's okay, all that matters is your safe, I was terrified something happened to you, and it was all my fault. But you're okay...okay?"

In the next moment, Alex did something he thought he would never, ever do.

He kissed him. Leaned in, and _kissed him._

He felt the coldness of John's lips and face against his as he pulled his body closer. In that moment, he forgot the world, he smiled, wrapping his arms around him, deepening the kiss. After what felt like a glorious eternity, he became breathless. He pulled, back, looking at John, panting. John was out of breath as well. Alex smiled, probably like an idiot. He wrapped his arms around John, hugging him. After they pulled away, they walked back to the house.

…...

 _John-_

They had reached the house, John trembling the whole way back, nearly losing his balance a few times. His mind had gone numb after what happened, but in a good way. Alex pulled him inside, quickly taking off his scarf for him.

"Gosh, you really are cold. Did I say I was sorry? Because I really am," He said, unbuttoning John's coat. John chuckled.

"Yes you did, I-I'm not mad at you, you know."

"Well you should be, I almost killed you."

"You did nothing of the kind!"

Alex sighed, pulling off the coat, throwing it onto the chair next to him. John looked at Alex.

"Alex, I was the one who wanted to go out, I wasn't taking no for an answer. This was my fault, not yours. Don't blame yourself for me being stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"Tell that to my half frozen body," John said, grinning. Alex smiled and rolled his eyes,

"I'm going to finish up dinner, it's almost done, you get warmed up, you hear me?"

"Yes, loud and clear. _Dear_ "

Alex stopped, turning around and narrowing his eyes and smiling. John laughed.

As Alex left John pulled off his boots and changed back into the baggy pants he had before. He almost had to laugh, it was ridiculous how many times he had changed. After changing, the sat down in front of the fire to warm himself up, wrapped again in a blanket. He smiled, thinking about the kiss. He couldn't believe it happened, it was so unexpected, but he wasn't complaining. The feeling of Alex's lips on his, the warmth of him pressed up against him. It almost made him explode from giddiness. He stared into the fire, lost in thought. He found himself thinking about Alex.

 ** _A/N- And I found myself writing until 12:30 again, but its all good. Yes, after two chapters of much anticipation it has finally happened! Don't worry, It's not over_** **yet!** ** _We still don't know what happens to Alex's paper! Why does my room smell like bubbles? I don't know, probably because I'm high on Lams. Well, that's it until next time! Hopefully I can get in next chapter before I have to start preparing Thanksgiving! Thank you for all the kind reviews, it makes my day reading them!_**


	4. Chapter 4

They sat at the table, eating. The pork and potatoes tasted great, mostly because John hadn't had them in so long. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had meat in general. He shoved another forkful in his mouth, looking out the window.

"So, what are you gonna do about that paper?" He asked, turning back to Alex. Alex sighed, setting his fork down.

"I don't know. I guess I'll just fail." He put his chin on his hand. "I guess maybe law just isn't for me."

John nearly choked on his food hearing those words. He stared at Alex, who was fiddling with his food.

"Alex, don't say that! Law is for you, you are quite possibly the best there's ever been!"

"If that was true, then I'd have that assignment done." He retorted, picking up a piece of potato and dropping it back on his plate like a bored seven-year-old. "They gave us all the evidence to a fake case, it all should point towards an easy trial of guilty. I don't understand it! They even told us the verdict, why can't I write it?"

John set his fork down, looking at the disgruntled Alex across from him.

"Maybe, you don't believe the verdict."

Alex looked up, his eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. He furrowed his brows, looking to the side of the room in deep thought. After a moment, everything seemed to click, from what John saw. John watched him curiously as he stood up and walked over to where he sat, he looked down at him, his eyes twinkling.

"I can't believe I didn't see it! It's a false case! John Laurens, you are a genius!"

He reached down, taking John's face in his hands and brought their lips together roughly. His hands moved towards the back of his neck, becoming entangled in his hair. It sent shivers down his spine. He pulled back, still holding Johns' face. He smiled widely, pulling up John from his chair.

"What are you doing?" John asked, being led from the table.

"I need to start my paper!"

"I didn't even finish eating!" John laughed. Alex stopped and turned around, pouting his lips. John rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but I'm going back to finish at some point or another."

Alex let go of John's hand, sliding into the chair in front of his desk. John pulled up a chair from the corner of the room, scooting in next to him. He watched as Alex grabbed a nearby piece of paper, quill, and ink and began to work. He stared at each word he wrote, mesmerized by the neatness and efficiency of the writing. It was entrancing following each effortless glide and stroke. He had never been that great of a writer, as much as people tried teaching him. He folded his arms and set his head down, watching the changes in Alex's face as he worked. He studied each and every subtle expression change, some of which he couldn't help but smile at, especially when he stuck his tongue out. They stayed like that for a while. A long while, Alex writing away, John right next to him. Well, until Alex got tired.

"Alex?"

"Wha-? Oh, oh whoops I fell asleep again, didn't I?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. John chuckled.

"What?"

"You have ink on your face," He giggled, he saw Alex frantically look down at his paper, but thankfully nothing smudged, just transferred to his left cheek, but of course he had no idea.

"Where?" He licked his hand, rubbing both his cheeks. "Did I get it?"

"Uh, not exactly," John said, tilting his head.

"Where is it at?"

"Here," He licked his thumb, reaching out. He gently moved his thumb across Alex's face, he had to smile, it seemed like the most clique thing to do, but it felt right in the moment.

"There, now it's gone," He said. "You know, you've been writing for what, three hours? Don't you think you should take a break?"

"Are you kidding me? I've barely got half of this finished! I'm on a roll!" Alex said, laughing.

"You're actually insane," John said, standing up. "Hey, I'm gonna head to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

"Oh, alright. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He walked out of the room, partially disappointed Alex hadn't come with him. Not that he had any intentions other than sleep, he just appreciated the company. He sat down on the edge of the bed, then flopped on his back, looking up at the ceiling. His mind replayed the day's events, falling into the snowbank, while also catching a glimpse of a shirtless Alex. That was insignificant compared to the fact they kissed. Twice. Each time amazing, though he could conclude he would never have expected them to occur the way they did, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.

…..

"John, hey John, wake up."

A hand lightly nudged his arm, he groaned softly, turning his head over. The hand nudged him again.

"Jooooohn."

John opened his eyes, sitting up groggily.

"God, if you dare say it's morning-"

"Hey calm down," Alex chuckled. "It's probably around One. Man, you didn't even make it fully onto the bed, huh?"

John looked over to the side of the bed he usually slept on, he hadn't even made it to that side. He smiled.

"I guess not. Finally going to sleep?"

"Yeah, I'll have tomorrow anyways."

John rolled over to his side of the bed, not wasting a second to crawl under the covers. He was pretty cold. He had to laugh, he'd been cold a lot recently. Alex settled in as well, both snuggled into the blankets.

"It's always so cold in here," Alex said, "I don't understand it."

John knew exactly how to fix it. He rolled over closer to Alex, putting his leg around his.

"Better?" He asked, turning his head. He saw Alex's face, which had turned red. He chuckled.

"Yeah, still a bit chilly though," He smiled.

"Okay, then how about this?"

John got on his hands and knees, then playfully laid right on top of Alex.

"John," He laughed, squirming beneath him. "I can't breathe."

"Shame."

He yelped as Alex tickled him at his sides, he laughed loudly, rolling off.

"No fair! No tickling!"

He laughed, settling down right next to Alex, their legs were linked together, and his head rested on his chest. He nuzzled closer to Alex.

"Think you'll still have classes tomorrow?" He asked, looking up.

"Hope not. I need a few more days."

"To write?"

Alex leaned down, kissing John on the forehead. "No, to spend with you."

John smiled, probably blushing like an idiot.

"You know," He said, "I think I'm beginning to like this snowstorm, no matter how unexpected it was.

"Me too, but maybe unexpected is a good thing," Alex said, playing with a lock of John's hair, "I mean, me totally falling in love with you was not what I expected, but.."

"I'm glad it happened," John said, finishing the sentence. Alex wrapped his arm around him, using the other to turn off the lamp.

"Hey, Alex?" John said in the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He said, closing his eyes.

"I love you too."

John smiled, no, he never expected to ever say that to anyone, and even more, have it said back. He never expected to ever find love, and he never expected it to end up being his closest friend. But that didn't mean he was any less happy. He smiled, listening to Alex's soft breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall. Eventually, he fell asleep to the steady rhythm.

A/N- Hey everyone! So, before you ask, no, this is not finished juuust yet. We still need to see what Alez gets on his paper, don't we? Well, until next time, I s'pose! Until then! Love you guys!


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N- I first would like to apologize for my lack of update, at one point I hadn't even touched this in ten days due to being busy with the holidays and well, just stuff in general. I have a writing assignment which I am pretty much done with, and I've had two people ask me to edit and revise theirs. So, naturally I did, and I'm writing an Essay (not for school, just for fun, I'm a freak shush.) Don't worry, I hadn't forgotten. It's 10:30 now, and I WILL finish this! Even if it kills me! Just kidding I love writing Lams I have no issues finishing._

Alex-

That was the first time Alexander Hamilton had slept in. Ever.

He woke up at the same time he did, 5:00, but this time he had decided not to get up. He looked down, on his chest laid a peaceful John, sound asleep. His hair was messy, laying out in all different directions. It was absolutely adorable. He shifted, careful not to wake him up. He gently laid his hand on John's head, lightly stroking his soft hair. Of all the times he chose to get up to work, this should've been one, seemings he hadn't even edited or revised his paper yet.

He wasn't about to get up this time.

He smiled as John stirred a bit, nuzzling his head closer to his chest. He automatically pulled him in. He realized in that moment he had never seen John asleep before. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Soon, by some means, he fell back asleep.

John-

The first thing John saw when he opened his eyes was the sunlight, beaming through the window, tiny specks of dust dancing in the streaks. He blinked at the sudden burst of light, he knew for sure morning had come. There was one problem though. He didn't want the morning to come. He noticed then, something he didn't expect.

Alex.

He knew him well enough to know Alex was an early bird, especially when he had things to work on, but there was. He never left. John smiled, laying his head back down. He noted that Alex's hand was still wrapped around him, the other laying right on his chest, rising and falling with every breath. He reached out, placing his hand on top of his. He guessed Alex had woken up at some other point, who knows how early, but there was no sign of him ever actually getting out of bed. He felt Alex's hand move under his, turning over and linking with his. He looked back up and saw his eyes were open.

"Morning sleepy-head," Alex said, yawning.

"Morning, sleepy-head. Did you actually sleep in? I thought you never did."

"This morning was an exception, I didn't really feel like getting up anyways," Alex said. John smiled.

"And why's that?" He inquired.

"Well, somehow I found myself with a perfect person in my arms, and I wasn't about to let that go."

John felt his throat close as he held back a wave of emotion threatening him. He wrapped both arms around Alex and felt him return it.

"Alex, I love you so much," He said, his voice cracking. "I know it sounds cliche, but I really mean it, with all of me."

He watched as tears filled Alex's eyes too, the yellow sunlight reflecting in his eyes perfectly.

"I love you too, so, so much. If I could say it without crying, I would."

John laughed, tears running down his face, Alex laughed too, both of them together making a half-awake, giggling, emotional mess. Eventually, they gained some sort of control of themselves and had both sat up. After a while of silence, John spoke.

"What will everyone think?"

"What?"

John leaned his head back on the headboard, looking up at the ceiling.

"About us, I mean, what will people say?" He said. He had to admit, be cared what people thought. He had always envied the people who strolled through life, unfazed by others judgment. Alex for instance.

"Who cares what people think?"

Somehow John knew that was exactly what Alex would say.

"Well, I do."

That earned a shocked yet still confused look from Alex.

"Not-not that that will change anything," he laughed, "but like what about Lafayette and Herc? I mean, I've known those guys forever but what if they don't approve? A-and what about-"

He was cut off by Alex's lips on his.

"They will," he whispered.

Alex leaned back, smirking.

"Usually I'm the one who needs to be cut off from talking too much, my how the tables have turned."

"Don't you have a paper to work on?" John said, smiling.

"Maybe." Alex held his hands up, taking John's in his, "But it can wait a little while longer."

***(Oooh this sounds spicier than I anticipated. xD)

Later..

John watched Alex work, finishing up in barely any time at all. They laid in bed for a while before he insisted he began working, which he wasted no time on teasing Alex about since people never have to remind him to do that. He rested his cheek on his hand, reading over the paper.

"So? How is it?" Alex asked, sounding almost a bit nervous.

"It's awesome! You have this in the bag, Alex. I'm proud."

Alex grinned sheepishly, "I couldn't have done it without you. You should go to law school, you'd be great at it, you know."

"Law is your thing, not mine."

"But you're still great at it, how else would you have figured that out? I didn't catch it." He said, staking up his papers on the table.

"Tomorrow, you're coming with me when I present my case, and you have no choice so don't try saying no."

John reached over, wrapping his hand around Alex's.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

The Next Day.

Alex-

"It is to this, I can conclude with my fullest confidence!" Alex proudly declared, "That is a case with the appearance of such simplicity that there is an underlying motive,"

He looked at John from his place on the stage, smiling.

"That only man with the brightest intellect could truly uncover, and reveal."

He stepped down, bowing to the round of applause. He saw John stand up, running up and hugging him tightly.

"Nailed it," He whispered.

"Thanks to you." He whispered back. He had nearly forgotten he was in a room with his colleagues until the professor had cleared his throat. Alex stepped back, beaming.

"Well, I think it's very clear you know what you are talking about, Mr. Hamilton." The professor turned, addressing the group of students spread throughout the small room.

"I must say, I am disappointed in the rest of you."

The teacher drawled on, talking about how he came up with the case with the intent to deceive some, and how he expected some of the brighter students to see through it. If Alex was being completely honest, he barely listened. He was preoccupied with his own thoughts and stolen glances toward John. He was brought back into focus by an ending applause, he looked around as people were clapping and looking at him again, some were smiling, the rest wearing dark scowls.

Well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to it.

He stood up and bowed once, then quickly left along with the sea of people. He peeked over the heads of people until he saw John, who was struggling to get his head above the taller people.

"John! Hey over here!" He waved his hand, then maneuvered through.

"Well, I guess the only thing left to do is try making it home without frostbite," he laughed. Alex chuckled.

"Well, if one of us does, we'll cuddle each other back to health."

John laughed again, holding out his hand.

"Sounds good to me."

Alex took his hand, wrapping his fingers around Johns. He had to admit, it felt nice. They walked out of the building, hand in hand, smiling wider than the world itself. They both looked at each other again, Alex looking right into his eyes. He noted the tiny specks of brown in his green eyes, like sprinkles. He leaned over, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, not caring if anyone saw. He saw John smile and blush, looking down at the ground in front of him as he walked. They decided to walk the whole way back, it had warmed up finally and the snow had stopped falling. The house wasn't very far away. They trudged along, hearing occasional screams of laughter from children playing outside in the deep snow.

"Hey Alex," John said, "listen, I know I hadn't really anticipated staying long," he looked up, "but would it be okay if I stay a while longer? I mean, it's ways back and the cabin will just take so long-"

"Of course!" Alex exclaimed, cutting him off. "I-I really wouldn't mind the company."

For the rest of the time, they discussed plans for the remainder of that day, Alex couldn't remember the last time he had no urge to write at all and instead spend the day doing other activities that weren't battle related. It struck him as surprising really.

 _Not what I expected_ , thought Alex, glancing back over at John, who was smiling at kids in the snow bank. There was no doubt in his mind he had fallen completely in love.

He wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

 _A/N- Okay so there was over a week between that first Author's note and this one, school is really beating my butt, but stubborn me decided a desk in my room was overdue. So naturally. Without telling anyone, I got one from our storage room and hauled it across the upstairs so yeah now I have my own desk. I had to measure it with clothes hangers. Three long, 1 and a half wide, 2 tall. I only dropped it on my foot once too! So yeah, this is finally done. Don't worry, there will be more, (not as long god I intended this to be like a quarter of the size.) Thank you for reading! Have a fantastic day guys!_


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